I had a great BM, better than last year for reasons that don't need elaboration. But hey here are some things that just plain irked me this year:

New meaning to crappy dub-step

At least last year, my first, dub-step was more spread out and just added to the "weird" atmospheric sound of the playa while traveling around. In many ways it sounded good and distinct from the other music to be had while traveling around. This year? Every fucking camp or club with a speaker was playing the crap. It followed exactly the same pattern: a big build up sound, and then descending to a hard hitting bunch of bass intermixed with weird sounds. That was it! Traveling around the playa, every fucking sound camp sounded exactly the same, and it showed: many of the sound camps were practically empty because people would just wander off to another camp that looked cooler but had the same music.

So many DJs "play" at those clubs and stages for free to get themselves free publicity, but honestly: how the fuck do any of them distinguish themselves when they sound exactly the fucking same? This sonic garbage needs to stop.

Unworking and unfinished art

What was with all the unfinished and unworking art on the playa this year? The face without working controls? Broken strobe lights on the paddling skeletons? Only two out of ten or so flowers actually lit up on a flower tree? 2/3rds-of-a-Tunnel of Questionable Enlightenment? Two towers of an unworking zip-line?

Yeah, most still cool, but still unfinished and/or broken. What the hell happened here? Bad planning? No spare parts? Crews that didn't buy their tickets? What was up?

Dark-tards galore

I bought a bunch of LEDs mostly to give out to camp mates, but later had the idea that I would also ride around giving some dark-tards LED finger lights to help them light their way. Well, that sure was cute and all until about Wednesday when the dark-tards started flooding the playa. By Thursday, about 2 in 5 people had no lights at all, and 1 in 5 had extremely poor and only frontal lighting. By that point it was getting just plain annoying having to dodge morons who think that, just because you're returning to the city, you don't need to light your damn self up. I didn't even want to gift the dard-tards lights anymore. Rather, I wish I had a steam roller to just run over these idiots with my bike, and rid myself of their presence.

Law enforcement everywhere

Nice touching your ear there, Mr. Panda Suit black-and-white. Real subtle. Police everywhere this year. Supposedly someone beaten down Rodney King style, but we'll see if that was just some rumor. I had heard there would be lots of law enforcement, but geez, not to this level.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

Not sure if you realized this, but the strobe lights on the paddling skeletons only fired when the wheel was spinning at a certain RPM (to make the illusion work correctly.) There were several times I was there that there were a bunch of people standing around waiting and watching while there were several ropes empty. It took quite a bit of pulling to get the wheel spinning at the right pace.

What was with all the unfinished and unworking art on the playa this year? The face without working controls? Broken strobe lights on the paddling skeletons? Only two out of ten or so flowers actually lit up on a flower tree? 2/3rds-of-a-Tunnel of Questionable Enlightenment? Two towers of an unworking zip-line?

Yeah, most still cool, but still unfinished and/or broken. What the hell happened here? Bad planning? No spare parts? Crews that didn't buy their tickets? What was up?

Any of that and more. It's a difficult environment and many artists are perhaps over-ambitious. Heck, I didn't get all my sparkleponies out, and that was small. Enjoy what people have, not what what you think they should have.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

I wonder if a substantial number of artists were delayed by weather on the east coast? I too noticed that unfinished zipline, and something on deep playa that was a complete half-finished mystery, etc. Though overall, art seems to be finished days faster these days than it was 10 years ago. I'm wondering if the playa weather didn't have something to do with it as well . . . it was obviously hotter this year, which made for slower setup and greater sickness. I saw a lot more heat exhaustion this year than I glimpsed last year.

Aside from the K-9 Unit trucks passing Medical on their way to their rounds, I didn't even notice law enforcement this time. 2009 and 2010 felt a lot more obtrusive to me. LEOs don't really hold my focus . . . so I'm really interested to hear others' perspectives.

But yeah, there were an amazing number of unlit folks all. over. the playa, just begging to be struck by artcars . . . imagining that their own inner radiance was sufficient light.

Motskyroonmatick & I had a great time encouraging them (mostly politely) to light up as we crossed the playa post-Meet & Greet . . .

boulderburner wrote:Not sure if you realized this, but the strobe lights on the paddling skeletons only fired when the wheel was spinning at a certain RPM (to make the illusion work correctly.) There were several times I was there that there were a bunch of people standing around waiting and watching while there were several ropes empty. It took quite a bit of pulling to get the wheel spinning at the right pace.

Well shit! I fucked that up!

Ugly Dougly wrote:Expectations, huh?

Yes, sadly.

Still, the burn as a whole went well beyond expectations.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

JStep wrote:Seriously, I love dubstep but found it hard to find when I was looking for it... then when I was just riding around I'd stumble upon some realy dirty, grimy basslines just oozing with nasty vibes.

My friend was reminding us that what we heard there was not to be taken as representing dubstep as a whole, so it has actually encouraged me to seek out and find what the music really embodies.

On the other hand, I was able to listen to some fantastic live music sung by some Persian folk with a sitar who caught a ride on our MV. Awesome stuff.

Hope your next burn is better!

I hope so! Just like this one was better than the last. The above list was just my second-year first-impressions and I really shouldn't let it dominate the good parts.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

I heard a lot of breakbeats and house. Disorient was just overflowing with club-friendly house choons... not really my thing. Dancetronauts was just killing it Sunday night, not sure who was on deck but it sounded fucking amazing! I need more grimy dubby bass!!!

BBadger wrote:I had a great BM, better than last year for reasons that don't need elaboration. But hey here are some things that just plain irked me this year:

i add to this observation the ritual after the burn : just few participant, no water......i think next years will be the last with the man.

BBadger wrote:Law enforcement everywhereNice touching your ear there, Mr. Panda Suit black-and-white. Real subtle. Police everywhere this year. Supposedly someone beaten down Rodney King style, but we'll see if that was just some rumor. I had heard there would be lots of law enforcement, but geez, not to this level.

I made the same observation. Maybe its due to the final assimilation of BRC by the USA governement.

- The amount of dubstep this year was a FRACTION of what it was last year. Seriously. Last year every stinking art car and sound camp was blasting the stuff. It felt like it was about 25% of what it was last year.

- The amount of LEO/law presence was a FRACTION of what it was last year, and I'm not the only one by far that commented on this. Everyone I talked to was like wow.. this year is pretty mellow! Last year there were sheriffs on quads driving everywhere down all streets at all hours.. flashing lights all over the playa.. everything. I saw busts happening left and right. This year felt like it was about 20% of last year.

Word around folks that I know and my personal experience is that there was FAR less dubstep than previous years. I think that had a lot to do with where I camped, though, but heard it from other friends camped on the 2:00 side of the city. I spent lots of time at Hair of the Dog and Burners without Borders and less time at the sound camps and heard a shit ton of amazing music, live and DJed. It was sonic bliss....a few grimey dubstep farts in the mix but it was mostly just blending in with the cacophony. I love how it adds to that. If you know where to look, you can hear all kinds of sounds. Some neighborhoods are probably more dubsteppy than others. The people I camped with this year Cirque Du Cliche dedicate their burns to creating live music so camping with them was a blessing. If you are affected by sound like I am, put yourself in a good place for that or just accept the discomforts of what irks you. I camped by Hookahdome in 08 and 09 and it was heaven and hell. hahahaaa

I've got a problem with feathers!! What is it with the fucking feathers? You want to look like fuckin big bird, fine but please not on the playa. Picked up so many damn feathers mooping Sunday morning I could've stuffed a pillow!

As for the zip line, I was out deep one night checking out playa art, and there was a projection on the globe at the lower end of the line.From the high side descended, damn slowly, two angels dancing their way through the night air. It was gorgeous, but it seemed it might have been a rehearsal. The angels were just figuring out their balance and moves. I don't think it was a "ride," but an installation.

As for me, I found playa magic every time I went looking for it. My rose colored glasses work fine. What do I know, I was a virgin.

junglesmacks wrote:- The amount of LEO/law presence was a FRACTION of what it was last year, and I'm not the only one by far that commented on this. Everyone I talked to was like wow.. this year is pretty mellow! Last year there were sheriffs on quads driving everywhere down all streets at all hours.. flashing lights all over the playa.. everything. I saw busts happening left and right. This year felt like it was about 20% of last year.

Gotta agree. We were all talking about how mellow the LEO's were keeping it this year; however, some of the new BR Ranger recruits really need some training- we were calling them the Black Rock Mall Cops by the end of the week. The old time Rangers know their shit & are a welcome presence, the new ones need to learn that they're Burners first, "authority" about 5th.

It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist

The only dysfunction transmorphagon had was being shut down by Placement on Monday night at 11:30pm. We were loud, yes, but I got told this:

"You're too fucking loud, either turn it down or Pull up stakes". This from the Placement Manager. and it was the first thing out of her mouth. My spl meter read 105dB at front of house, which IS technicaly too loud outside the LSSA. I get that. That being said, every single camp in our environs was louder than that, including Black Rock Lemonade, End of the Line, HMX, Automatic Subconscious. Not to mention every camp on the 7:30-9:30 Esplanade which were booming. Our other neighbors had zero issue with us; we don't run 24/7 at that kind of volume, especially if we dont' have a crowd. I canceled a DJ set to make the rear neighbors happy, as they continued to complain.

It's hard for a live music stage to make it in the LSSA. we jsut don't have the kind of sonic push to get an acoustic, Jazz, or Downtempo act heard out there. I hope this was just a glitch, but it's making me reconsider our placement, or even our space out there.

The Biggest Distraction... Funk On the Playa, Live uncut Funk, TheBomb, Comin at you from the Transmorphogon, 500 Kilowatts of Pure Funk Power. You Will be groovin'. So when yer sick of the Boomp Boomp of the Burn, come down to the T-Dome and Learn....

Talking with one of the artist's of the zipline I found that, yes it was to be a ride, and the reason it seemed unfinished is because some asshats trashed it Monday evening, and ruined the ride. So it had been finished, but then vandalized to the point were it seemed unfinished.

Bounce530 wrote:Talking with one of the artist's of the zipline I found that, yes it was to be a ride, and the reason it seemed unfinished is because some asshats trashed it Monday evening, and ruined the ride. So it had been finished, but then vandalized to the point were it seemed unfinished.

Burning Man isn't about the stuff you see when you get there ....it's about the people that brought that stuff there

Bounce530 wrote:Talking with one of the artist's of the zipline I found that, yes it was to be a ride, and the reason it seemed unfinished is because some asshats trashed it Monday evening, and ruined the ride. So it had been finished, but then vandalized to the point were it seemed unfinished.

Hey Bounce, nice meeting you at the MnG!!

Anyway, back to topic: My campmates and I stumbled upon that on our ride out to deep playa and spoke to the guy responsible for the taller tower build. What he told us was that there was planned to be some sort of Cirque Du Soliel type performance on Thursday night, which included the zip line, after which they were planning to open up the zip line for public rides and were in the process of figuring out how to get people up the tower. They had a lift but weren't sure if that's how they were going to do it. We never went back to see it so not sure how any of that panned out. Sounds like they never worked out the logistics. (My first thought was "shouldn't you have thought of that before bringing this thing here and setting it up?" but I didn't mention that of course lol. He was getting paid to do it so I guess it was his job to construct, not figure out what to do with it.)

Savannah wrote: I'm wondering if the playa weather didn't have something to do with it as well . . . it was obviously hotter this year, which made for slower setup and greater sickness. I saw a lot more heat exhaustion this year than I glimpsed last year.

Aside from the K-9 Unit trucks passing Medical on their way to their rounds, I didn't even notice law enforcement this time. 2009 and 2010 felt a lot more obtrusive to me. LEOs don't really hold my focus . . . so I'm really interested to hear others' perspectives.

But yeah, there were an amazing number of unlit folks all. over. the playa, just begging to be struck by artcars . . . imagining that their own inner radiance was sufficient light.

Motskyroonmatick & I had a great time encouraging them (mostly politely) to light up as we crossed the playa post-Meet & Greet . . .

You think it was hotter than last year? I thought it was damned down right pleasant this year. Odd, my internal ther-meter-mejig must be off.

I agree, I saw more cops near gates and in Gerlach than I did in the event. But I also stayed clear of the big sound camps this year.

The dark wads were abundant!!!!! I started the week very very very well lit, but as my lights started to fail, and my fingers were too torn and bloody to even attempt soldering, I just went with it. I even noted to my self when walking out of camp on burn night that I was border line dark wad.

Why don't ya stick your head in that hole and find out? ~pieholePlan for the worst, expect the best. Make the most out of it under any conditions. If you cannot do that you will never enjoy yourself. ~CrispyDave

The two towers in deep playa were part of the set for a performance piece by Isis Vision that played after the temple burn. It was a fabulous combination of aerial dance and light projections. Two angels followed a globe along the zip line between the towers. Light projections on the angels' robes made them look like they were on fire. Then the globe peeled open to reveal two dancers inside who did contortionist dancing. Below them, other dancers performed. All set to mesmerizing music. Really well done and a highlight of my week.

I thought the huge laser clock in the sky was a bust. I saw lasers, but never could tell what time it was. Did the clock ever work?

The Bee wrote:I thought the huge laser clock in the sky was a bust. I saw lasers, but never could tell what time it was. Did the clock ever work?

Did you ever go up to the base? Yes, you could totally tell what time it was if you were either at the base or (more vaguely) near one of the hour markers on Esplanade provided you could tell where 6 was. It worked flawlessly all week, linked to the national atomic clock and each laser adjusted thousands of times per second to accurate time. Part of their Guiness Book requirements was to get 40 affidavits from disinterested parties that basically just asked if they could tell what time it was and they could look and go "oh, yeah, it's 11:37". They got every affidavit with little effort.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was a financial backer through the kickstarter campaign and therefore "invested" in the projects success. On the other hand, if you're thinking it's possible to create a clock with lasers on the playa where you can truly stand anywhere (with no reference points for the "clock's face") and be able to tell what time it is then you don't really understand perspective or clocks.

The Bee wrote:I thought the huge laser clock in the sky was a bust. I saw lasers, but never could tell what time it was. Did the clock ever work?

Yes it worked, and worked exceptionally. I talked with the lead artist Jim Bowers one of the nights, and OMC had some advanced auto-calibration mode to keep the beam positioned perfectly without having to adjust things manually. The system was well engineered, safe, and the dot from the beam could be seen on hills way outside BRC. I also liked the fact that at midnight, the beam of the laser hit a special "crystal" hanging inside the temple, bathing the insides in green light. Very nice.

Visually, the problem with the clock was that even with a laser indicating the seconds hand, the motion is relatively slow. They tried to mitigate this problem by not using a real seconds hand but rather the fast-turning laser that would turn about 5-10 degrees at a time. It was there just to indicate motion because the minutes/hours hand were pretty slow. At first I thought some of the spinning blue lasers were part of OMC, but they weren't.

I was somewhat disappointed that they didn't use different colors for the hands as in the original plan, but according to them, it would've been too expensive/complicated to buy/build lasers that were high enough power in red and blue to match the brightness of the green. Red would need to be about 12x as powerful as the 1.7W greens they were using, and the blue would've also needed many times the power of the green to match the brightness. Buying such lasers either cannot be done, would've been astronomically expensive, or required building special beam-combining optics to combine multiple lasers into a beam (very time consuming and expensive). The beams of the two other colors are also not as visible as the green.

Overall, I thought OMC was an interesting fixture at BM, and the fact that I could only tell that it was midnight when the laser intersected the crystal at the temple helped me not pay attention to what time it was.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

lucky420 wrote:I've got a problem with feathers!! What is it with the fucking feathers? You want to look like fuckin big bird, fine but please not on the playa. Picked up so many damn feathers mooping Sunday morning I could've stuffed a pillow!

No kidding. I intend, if I go next year, to make photocopies of the section admonishing NO FEATHERS and pass them out. Turns out feathers and those GD stupid hip scarves are a "trigger issue" for me.